Tainted Love

by Sakura aka L-sama no Miko

A little ficcie inspired by Soft Cel's 'Tainted Love'

Tainted Love
By Sakura

Inspired by the song 'Tainted Love' by Soft Cel

Lina could not believe what she just heard. "Care to repeat that, mazoku?"
Xelloss smiled enjoying the look of disbelief on her face. "I said it's over Lina-chan. It was fun, don't get me wrong, but we mazoku do tend to get bored. We do live for a very long time after all."
"You damned mazoku bastard! You think you can just screw me and then dump me like a sack of potatoes?!" Lina was beginning to see red. She had loved the mazoku priest. She had even let him be with her in every sense of the word. Now he was leaving her. How dare he!
"That is the general idea Lina-chan." He was really enjoying the anger and despair his former lover was giving off.
"Kisama!" Lina pulled back her arm and punched him on the jaw. Hard. Blood flowed form a cracked lip.
Xel licked at the blood. "That felt good Lina-chan. A farewell gift?"
Lina promptly fireballed him and stormed out of the room, down the stairs and out of the inn.
In the dining hall, Gourry looked up from his stack of pancakes and said, "Hey, wasn't that Lina?"
Amelia stopped eating to look toward the hallway. "I don't see anyone."
"Oh, guess I was seeing things." Gourry and Amelia promptly went back to scarfing on their breakfast.
Next to them, Zelgadis glared at the hallway. He too had seen the red-haired sorceress run out of the inn. 'That mazoku must've done something to make her really angry. He's dead." Of all of them, only Zel was aware of Lina and Xel's relationship and he wasn't too happy about it. Not one bit.

"Ray Wing!"
Lina had to get far away from there as possible. Having Xel toss her away like a broken toy was playing havoc with her emotions and she needed to be someplace where there were no distractions otherwise she'd be liable to Dragon Slave the whole town or worse. She had no intention of harming her friends, well maybe except for him.
She hovered over the town searching for a feasible location for solitary thinking. Spotting, a meadow with what appeared to be a pond, she flew off in that direction. 'That damned mazoku!' she thought as she disappeared into the distance.
A little girl looked up at the sky while her mother talked to a stall keeper. "Momma look! There's a flying girl! Look! Look!" she said pulling on her mother's skirt.
"That's nice, dear. Now let Momma do her shopping."
The girl quickly turned her attention to another little girl nearby and started playing with her.

Xel sat on a rooftop watching his fiery tempered lover fly off towards a nearby meadow. Though her anger and despair were delicious, an annoying pang of guilt pulled at his heartstrings. In over one thousand years, he finally decided to develop a conscience.
'Forgive me Lina-chan, but this is for your own good,' he thought watching the tiny speck disappear.
"Xelloss!!! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO LINA?!!!" bellowed Zel, landing on the roof next to the mazoku priest.
'Yare, yare he's in a tizzy,' Xel thought with amusement. 'Mortals certainly were fun.' "Oh hello, Zel-kun. Come to enjoy the view?" he asked smiling with his eyes closed.
"I asked you a question freak. What. Did. You. Do. To. Lina?!" He barely managed to stay calm. Losing his temper would get him nowhere with Xel.
"Lina-chan? Why nothing. Why do you ask?" The chimera was turning an interesting shade of purple. How he loved to torment Zel like this. "Not jealous are we?"
Zel flushed even more. "KISAMA!!!" He drew his sword and leapt at the priest, ready to slice off his head. Xel smiled and phased before the sword could connect with his neck.
He phased back in behind Zel and leaned to his ear. "BOO!!!" Zel jumped several feet into the air, scaring a flock of geese, before landing only to lose his balance on a loose tile and crashing down into a rain barrel full of dirty water.
Xel laughed as the chimera struggled to extricate himself from the barrel. 'Gods! I haven't had this much fun in years! No wonder Lina-chan likes him so much.'
"I'd love to stay and play with you, Zel-kun, but I have pressing business elsewhere. Ja!" With that, Xel disappeared.
"Xelloss!!! YOU DAMN COWARD!!!! COME BACK HERE!!!!!" Zel yelled to the sky. Around him, people stared at the strange blue skinned man. He blushed then quickly ran off in the direction he saw Lina go in.

"Fireball!!!"
After incinerating a large section of the meadow, Lina had calmed down enough to think things over. She sat at the edge of the 'pond.' It struck her as odd that the color of the water was orange and it was only early afternoon. Picking up a first sized stone, and passed it from hand to hand, juggling it a little.
"Why now? After all this time, why end it?" she asked no one in particular. She had expected this at first, but after a year and a half, she had grown accustomed to having Xel with her day in, day out. "Why the hell did I have to fall in love with a mazoku?!"
Not realizing or caring about the danger she was about to hurl herself into, Lina threw the stone into the 'pond.' Instead of immediately sinking to the bottom, the stone was suspended halfway between the surface and bottom. Plus she could still see it but no bottom. "Huh?"
Before she could blink, the water began to wiggle toward her. Backing away, she stood up and cast another fireball. Nothing happened. The 'blob' as she described it later, rose till it formed a wave that towered above her. 'Uh-oh,' she thought. 'Better get outta here, and fast!'
"Levit..." The wave collapsed engulfing the little sorceress in the Jell-O like substance. Lina desperately struggled to free herself from the orange blob when she begin to feel a burning sensation wherever it touched her skin, but to no avail. The last thing she remembered was watching her clothes slowly disintegrating and feeling suffocated before losing consciousness.

"Lina-chan!!!"
He felt her fear and pain even on the astral plane. Abandoning his present orders, Xel rushed to his lover's side. 'The hell with Juu-ou-sama. I can't let Lina die on me! Not yet.'

She was trapped inside a gelatinous mass, unconscious and it had almost finished with her clothing. Acidic burns were all over her body and face. "Hang on Lina-chan! I'll get you out of there. Don't you dare die on me."
The mazoku priest aimed his staff at the orange Jell-O blob and it backed up spitting up the unconscious sorceress. The blob was now heading toward Xel. "Hungry are you?" he asked it smiling, eyes open. "Well I'm sorry I can't help you. After all, you did hurt MY Lina-chan and we just can't have that." Another blast from Xel's staff fried the blob till it was a blackened shapeless mess.
Ignoring the stench, he ran to Lina's side and began to wipe remnants of orange Jell-O off her now mostly nude body while casting a healing spell. The burns were slowly fading and color began to return to her cheeks. "It's all right now, Lina-chan. You're safe. Wake up, pet," he said brushing a few bangs from her eyes. 'I only hope you can forgive me. For leaving you like that and now for tainting you with mazoku blood as well,' he thought fighting against the urge to kiss her. 'It's the only way I could save you.' He lost the inner battle and gently kissed her lips. "Wake up, Lina-chan."
"LINA!!!" Zel burst into the meadow, arriving to see her lying on the ground, the mazoku leaning over her.
'Damn! He would have to show up now,' Xel thought annoyed. "Forgive me Lina-chan, but I think you'd much rather not see me again just yet, ne?" Xel kissed her again quickly and faded back into the astral plane and his 'pressing business.'

"Lina!! Wake up! Lina!!!" Her clothes were torn, no it was like they had been eaten away by acid. Nearby was a shapeless, blackened mass. It was obvious she was not the one who did it, so why did the mazoku save her only to attack her again?
"Damn you Xelloss." The priest had probably planned the whole thing from the start. But there was no time to worry about him now. Lina needed immediate attention.
Blushing, Zel placed an ear over her heart. Satisfied it was still beating, he draped his cloak over her and gently picked her up, cradling her close.
"Ray Wing!"
Carrying the unconscious sorceress, he flew back towards the town, and the inn.

She felt arms holding her and she snuggled closer to the source of warmth that went with them. "Xel..." she whispered dreamily.
Zel stiffened when he heard his enemy's name uttered from her lips. 'So help me, I'll kill the bastard!' he thought.
Feeling the body she lay next to stiffen, Lina opened her eyes. Instead of the dark violet hair and closed eyes of Xelloss, she awoke to the blue hair and skin of Zel. "Zel! W-what happened?! Where am I? The last thing I remember is being engulfed in a blob of Jell-O." She tried to rise, but realized her present state of undress. She turned red as her hair, then promptly smacked the chimera. "Owie! That smarts!" she cried shaking her hand.
"Calm down Lina. Nothing happened between us, if that's what you're worried about. Your clothes were practically demolished when I found you lying in that meadow. I brought you back here once I was sure you were still alive," he said.
"You saved me?" she asked wrapping the sheet around her.
He nodded. "When I found you Xelloss was hovering over you, what he was up to I have no idea, but he vanished before I could get to you."
"What about that blob thingy?"
"All I saw was a blackened shapeless mass. I think he must've done it."
"Why would he save me only to attack me?" she asked perplexed.
"That's what I'd like to know," the chimera answered grimly. Not wanting to upset her anymore, he decided to change the subject. "How are you feeling?"
"Um, I'm a little weak and tired, but otherwise I'm O.K."
"I'm glad. I was only staying to keep you warm," he said blushing also not wishing her to know the real reason why he wanted to stay with her. "Amelia and Sylphiel went to buy you some new clothes."
She grimaced. She was well aware of Amelia's taste in fashion.
He smiled a little, sadly. "Gomen, I tried to stop her, but you know how Amelia gets." She nodded. "Do you want me to bring you some food?"
"Um... no. Not just yet. I'm still a little shook up."
It wasn't like Lina to turn down food, but Zel knew better than to pry into her private business. If she wanted to, she'll talk about it when she was ready. "All right. I'll go tell Gourry you're O.K. now. He was really worried about you, you know." He made for the door.
"Um, Zel, could you stay with me for just a little bit longer? I don't exactly want to be alone right now."
Zel blushed once more. She wanted him to stay? Not that fruitcake mazoku? Uncertain he had heard her right, he turned back to her. There was a sad look on her face. One he had never seen before. How he longed to hold her and tell her it'd be all right, but she loved another. Still, she had wanted him to stay. Hadn't she?
"Onegai? Stay," she pleaded.
"Sure." He sat back on the bed next to the red-haired girl.
"Thanks, Zel. I really appreciate this." He nodded content to stay where he was, trying not to get a nosebleed. Lina crept up beside him, still wrapped in her sheet. She placed her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
"Do you want to talk about what happened this morning?" he asked unconsciously wrapping an arm around her petite form.
"I-ie. Just do me a favor, Zel. Hold me. Just hold me. I just wanna forget the whole thing right now."
Zel stroked her fiery red hair. "Go back to sleep, Lina. I'll be here."
She obeyed him and lay back down on the bed. Zel lay beside her and gently gathered her into his arms. She turned to face him and snuggled close to him, burying her face in his clothes. "Mmmm. Thank you," she said before going to sleep again.
Zel blushed fiercely. For him it was the happiest moment in his life; the one he loved more than anything, was sleeping in his arms. "It'll be all right, Lina, love," he whispered in her ear. 'From now on that mazoku bastard is never getting near you again," he silently swore.

Over the next few days Lina and Zel grew closer. Lina grew dependent on the chimera for emotional support as well as the occasional help whenever she suffered from nightmares of the fight with the blob monster. She soon got over the emotional pain Xel had left her in and was able to forget about the mazoku with Zel's help, though she couldn't help think there was something missing.
Lina sat at the dresser brushing her hair, which she found helped her to think. She was thinking more of Zel these days than a certain mazoku. She remembered how Zel had spent the whole night when he brought her from the meadow. She had rather liked the attention he gave her. He had simply refused to let her out of his sight. He had insisted on bringing her food to her room himself, which he did.
The night before, she had asked Zel to watch over her for the nightmares had returned. She had had a terrible night as the nightmares hit her with a vengeance. He had to hold her like he did on that night. Only then did her tossing and turning stop.
Having the chimera around was nice, but a pain to get rid of, for once he went into protective mode, she had to on more or one occasion, threaten him with the Dragon Slave to make him back off. This morning was one such occasion; she needed to get dressed and Zel was still worried about her nightmares.
After she managed to get him to leave, Lina got out of her pajamas and dressed into her new outfit that Sylphiel and Amelia bought her. 'Thank goodness Sylphiel managed to talk Amelia into this one,' she had thought while dressing. It wasn't what she would've picked, but at least it was tasteful. It consisted of a black cape, like the one she used to have, a dark green tunic and matching pants. The boots and sword belt were brown as were the gloves. However the two failed to find a bandanna that suited her so she wore her hair in a high ponytail using one of Amelia's hair ribbons.
'It's kinda nice to have Zel wait on me like this, but I'm a big girl now. I can take care of myself. Well, most of the time,' she thought as she finished the last brushstroke.
She gathered her hair and tied it back with the hair ribbon and was about to leave the room when she heard a voice she thought she'd never hear again. "Ohayo Lina-chan. Feeling better I see. My what an interesting look, when did you decide to change?"
"Did you forget something, Xellos? Is that why you came back?" she said sarcastically without turning around.
"Tsk, Tsk. Is that anyway to treat someone who's worried about you?" he said coming up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her petite waist, which she immediately pushed off.
"Listen you sick mazoku bastard, if you really cared about me, you wouldn't have treated me like that..."
"Like what, dear?"
"Don't call me that!! You damn well know what I'm talking about. You really hurt me when you dumped me. I hope you're happy. Now get the hell outta my room before I call for Zel and Gourry. They're not exactly happy with you right now." Tears were forming in her eyes, hidden by her bangs.
Xel smiled, though his recently awakened conscience had him feeling immensely guilty inside. Her anger and hate had no taste for him now. It was his fault she was hurt by that Jell-O monster and Juu-ou-sama wasn't too pleased with his handling of the situation either. She had threatened him with telling Lina's sister, Luna of her little sister's current emotional condition if he didn't make amends immediately, besides tainting Lina with a mazoku healing spell wasn't exactly in her plans either. The beast master was actually rather found of the little sorceress and thought her servant and Lina were indeed a cute couple as well.
Not even L-sama herself could keep him from Lina now, Luna Inverse's anger was legendary and many mazoku feared the sister of Lina Inverse.
"Would it help if I said I was sorry?" he asked trying his best to sound sincere. He dared to place a hand on her shoulder.
She spun around and slapped him. Hard. "You just don't get it do you?! You can't just take back what you said and pretend nothing happened!"
"Why not? I know you've been with the chimera. Don't you feel there's something missing, ne?" He smirked, he knew he had hit a sore spot.
He was right. Though she loved Zel, it had been as if he was an older brother for her. She never could truly love him in the way she had loved the mazoku. Her love for Gourry was pretty much the same. There was indeed something missing when either man held her at night when her nightmares struck.
"I truly am sorry. I only did what I did because I had to go on a very dangerous mission for Juuou-sama and I wasn't sure I'd come back, alive that is. I didn't want to see you hurt, Lina-chan." He paused unsure of how to tell her what he really wanted to. "I love you."
Lina was astonished not only had he said anything without being in a headlock and threatened with a Dragon Slave or two, he actually said three little words she was certain any mazoku would never say, not even under threat of certain death. She stared unbelieving at him, expecting to see his closed eyes and smiling face, but his eyes were open, an almost said look in them. There was no smile. It was as if the mazoku priest were truly sad. She looked at the floor not wanting to confront the confusion in her heart any longer. She could no longer deny the love she still had for him no matter how angry she was.
"I see," he said, "you no longer care for me. Forgive me if you can, Lina. I'll be leaving now. You needn't worry about me popping in anymore."
"Matte! Xel!"
The mazoku paused in mid teleport and faded back into the room, facing her.
"I-I forgive you, Xel." She took one more look at her lover's face. There was a slight smile, not the usual cheery, false ones he had used for the others, but a sad, yet hopeful one. Was he telling the truth this time? Did he truly care or was he just making up another one of his stories to get her back?
"Trust me," he said sensing her doubt. "I do love you, my Lina-chan." Despite her doubts, Lina wanted him back. Something was making her wish he'd take her in his arms and shut up. As if he heard her thoughts, Xel gently placed a gloved hand on her cheek, his thumb catching a tear as it fell from her eye unbidden.
"Xel..." He placed a finger on her lips, silencing her. Taking the tear into his hand and closed it and reopened it again moments later, producing a perfect tear shaped diamond. She blinked at the jewel not understanding. He took her hand and placed the diamond in it.
"For you, Lina-chan. Let it remind you how much I love you." she took another look at him and saw that his eyes were sparkling much like the jewel she held.
'Why are his eyes sparkling like that?' Tears were shimmering in them, threatening to fall at any moment. 'Is he crying?! mazoku can't cry! Can't they?'
"Hai, Lina-chan. We mazoku can cry, but very, very rarely. But you forget I was not always a mazoku. I can still remember what it's like to be human, but recently I've forgotten. I've buried all my emotions for over one thousand years and now it seems they've burst free. Please, Lina-chan, let's be friends again, ne."
She looked at the diamond, then at Xel, then at the diamond again. Praying she was making the right choice, she nodded, making him truly smile. She put the jewel in a hidden pocket she had sewn into her cape and wrapped her arms around him. "I've missed you, Xel," she said resting her head on his chest. Now, in days, she no longer felt empty, she felt whole.
"I've missed you too, little fireball." He tilted her head up and kissed her.
Zel burst in wondering why she was taking so long. "Lina, are you O.K.? We..." Then he saw them. Lina was kissing his mortal enemy, the one who had hurt her so much not so long ago. He went absolutely livid. Drawing his sword, he rushed at the mazoku priest. "Kisama! Get away from her!!"
Xel teleported out of the way and reappeared floating in midair. "Don't you know to knock on a lady's door, chimera?" he said, annoyed.
"You hurt Lina and I'm going to make you pay," he yelled back.
"Does it look like I was hurting her?" Lina blushed, embarrassed she had been caught kissing Xel.
Zel began chanting the Ra-Tilt. Lina went up to him and slapped him, breaking his concentration. "Lina!" he said shocked.
She cradled her sore hand. 'Damn! That stone skin of his is hard. I keep forgetting that.'
"Listen, I know how you feel about me Zel, and I appreciate it. You're a good friend, but it is MY life. If I choose to waste it on a mazoku like him, so what? It's still MY life."
"But Lina..."
"Hear me out, Zel. I know you think I care for you, I do. But I love you like a brother, that's all. I'm sorry, Zel." She hugged him, a sad smile on her face. "If things were different, maybe I'd be able to love you the way you want me to."
"I'm sorry too, Lina." He walked to the door.
"We're still friends, ne?" she called after him.
He turned and smiled. "Hai. Don't take too much longer, Lina. I'd like to start leaving town sometime before noon."
She blushed. "I'll be down in a few minutes, Zel."
He glared at the mazoku still floating in the air, enjoying himself immensely. "This is not over mazoku."
"Indeed. It is not," he said landing next to Lina.
Zel left the room and headed back to the dining hall. 'One day Xellos. One day you'll slip up and I'll kill you. Then Lina will be mine,' he vowed.
"Well that certainly was interesting," Xel said.
"Xel, I need to know something. What happened that day after you dumped me? I mean after I was attacked."
He winced. He could still feel the fear she was giving off after she was engulfed by the blob. "I felt you in danger while I was away. I saw that blob monster had you inside it and was working on your clothes and skin." She blushed remembering how she woke up next to Zel with nothing covering her but a sheet. "I merely took care of it and your wounds."
"But why didn't you stay?"
"Well, your pet chimera came rushing to save you and you know how he feels about me. The rest is a secret." He smiled and gave her a wink.
"So you really did save me, not Zel." He nodded. "Thank you." She gave him a kiss on the lips.
After an eternity of tongue fencing, Xel broke the kiss and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Shall we join the others now?"
She nodded and let him lead her down the stairs.

~Owari~

Author's notes and disclaimer:
I know Xel's way OOC here, but I don't believe mazoku have no emotions, especially the trickster priest. If you look at the translations to his Next and Try songs, they appear to convey some hidden emotions, particularly towards Lina, which would support my Lina/Xel bias.
I originally intended this to be a song fic but once I started, it kinda got away from me. I think the song is a perfect way to describe their relationship.
I don't own any of the characters, so please don't sue me.

Any C&C welcome.. Flames however will be dealt with accordingly.